Week 4 Reliability and Creative Process Essay

The first principle that I want to look at is research. The dictionary definition of research is “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions”. Within visual communication, it is the reaching of new conclusions that most interests us, but even then, this is actually a much broader scope than you might initially think. Research does not simply mean ‘looking things up’; it means gathering data in any sense. As a visual communicator, most of my research would be visual: collected items, drawings, photographs, etc. So for example testing out a new material is gathering data on how to use it effectively, and is therefore an important form of research. Research is always important within a project. Starting on ideas without doing any kind of research first will normally lead to less interesting ideas and failure to communicate effectively.

On top of the essentiality of doing research, an important point to consider in that definition is the word systematic. In other words, the research you do is not simply a small step at the beginning to get a foothold on your project, but a continuous process. You should always be looking at things that interest you as you continue to build up a visual understanding of your subject.

Below are some pages from a short project that I did on foundation, but worked on in more depth in my gap year. The continual research I did throughout the project on different artists and different methods of working was incredibly useful as a resource and allowed me to come up with some much better outcomes.

The next principle that I am going to look at is very similar to the first: it is inspiration. We find inspiration through our research (which is another reason why we should always be doing it). Unlike research however, the methodologies for gathering inspiration are not as clear-cut. Anything and everything can be of inspiration (and so you should ideally collect and research everything), and this inspiration leads into a cycle of more research and inspiration, but the starting spark requires you to be more engaged with your practice than research does. When collecting data, it is possible to switch off, and collect on autopilot. When looking for inspiration, your creative brain must be engaged with your practice, and you must really find what you are doing interesting, as one would hope that you do (I certainly do!). When you are engaged and inspired, you can create fresh and creative ideas.